The NCAA News - News and Features

March 31, 1997

Illinois wins war of the Wesleyans

Illinois Wesleyan edges Nebraska Wesleyan for III men's crown

Illinois Wesleyan built a 19-point half-time lead and then held on to beat Nebraska Wesleyan, 89-86, in the Division III Men's Basketball Championship March 22 in Salem, Virginia.

Illinois Wesleyan led by as many as 23 in the first half, shooting 67 percent from the field. The Titans shot 75 percent from three-point range (six of eight).

Nebraska Wesleyan was not about to go away quietly, though, as coach Todd Raridon's team chipped away at the margin in the second half.

The three-point shot that helped Illinois Wesleyan build the early lead became Nebraska Wesleyan's ally in the second half. Mitch Mosser threw in five three-pointers during the first 14 minutes of the second half. His two free throws at the 6:43 mark brought the Plainsmen to within one point, 70-69.

Nathan Hubbard's five points helped Illinois Wesleyan extend the lead to nine points with 1:17 remaining in the game. Three-pointers by Mosser and Kipp Kissinger brought Nebraska Wesleyan to within three, but Bryan Crabtree's free throws down the stretch preserved the win for Illinois Wesleyan.

A last-second three-pointer by the Plainsmen's Chad Ideus established the final margin.

"The truth of the matter is when it came time to suck it up, these guys found a way to win. Now they have something they can take with them all their lives -- a national championship," Illinois Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "I've been at this 32 years, trying to get something this nice.

"I told myself it would be OK to go home 23-8 and second in the nation. But I also said you have so very few chances to be national champions, and there's such a huge difference between being national champions and runners-up. Thankfully, the chance didn't get away."

Illinois Wesleyan was paced by Crabtree's 28 points. Brent Niebrugge scored 25 points and added 11 rebounds. Korey Coon scored 17, while Hubbard scored 10 points.

Four Nebraska Wesleyan players also scored in double figures, led by Nate Thomas' 24 points and Mosser's 23. Ideus contributed 21 for the Plainsmen, while Kissinger scored 14 points. Thomas added 11 rebounds.

Illinois Wesleyan defeated Alvernia in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. It ended the year at 29-2. Nebraska Wesleyan, which beat Williams in the semifinals, finished the year with a 25-6 record.

Crabtree was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Joining him on the all-tournament team were Coon, Mosser, Damien Hunter from Alvernia and Michael Nogelo from Williams.

SEMIFINALS

Ill. Wesleyan 85, Alvernia 82

Alvernia: Aaron Anders 2-4, 0-0, 1, 4; Mitchell Less 5-6, 0-1, 5, 10; Lonnie Walker 5-7, 5-6, 13, 15; Damien Hunter 11-24, 0-0, 4, 24; Tahir Lowrie 6-16, 4-4, 7, 21; Bryan Eifert 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Abe Morant 2-4, 0-0, 0, 5; Keith Baer 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Benjamin Hayes 1-2, 1-2, 3, 3; Savvas Kiprislis 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS: 32-64, 10-13, 36 (3 team), 82.

Ill. Wesleyan: Brent Niebrugge 8-11, 2-5, 8, 8; Bryan Crabtree 2-11, 19-22, 6, 23; John Baines 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Korey Coon 6-9, 7-8, 1, 24; Nathan Hubbard 3-8, 0-0, 3, 8; Tony Pacetti 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Jason Osborn 0-0, 1-2, 2, 1; Matt Hoder 3-5, 4-5, 2, 11; Matt Mann 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS: 22-45, 33-42, 27 (5 team), 85.

Half time: Alvernia 40, Ill. Wesleyan 37. Three-point field goals: Alvernia 8-20 (Hunter 2-7, Lowrie 5-11, Eifert 0-1, Morant 1-1); Ill. Wesleyan 8-16 (Crabtree 0-4, Coon 5-6, Hubbard 2-5, Hoder 1-1). Disqualifications: Anders, Less, Hunter. Officials: Mike Deary, Bill Boutilier, Steve Uno. Attendance: 2,652.

Neb. Wesleyan 101, Williams 90

Williams: Michael Nogelo 10-21, 2-2, 9, 23; Brendan McGuire 4-12, 0-0, 2, 9; Grant Farmer 1-6, 0-0, 0, 3; Mike Humphreys 8-12, 5-5, 5, 24; Jim Frew 4-9, 2-2, 2, 12; Jim Sheehy 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Aaron Dupuis 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Ales Birdsall 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Mike Holland 0-0, 0-0, 2, 0; Jared Silverstein 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Sean Keenan 1-1, 1-1, 1, 3; Matt Hunt 4-9, 6-8, 1, 16; Matt Sly 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS: 32-71, 16-18, 25 (3 team), 90.

Neb. Wesleyan: Chad Ideus 7-14, 0-0, 6, 15; Jeff Miller 3-5, 4-4, 5, 10; Kurt Thomas 2-5, 3-3, 7, 7; Kipp Kissinger 9-12, 4-4, 2, 28; Mitch Mosser 8-11, 9-10, 7, 30; Marcus Boesiger 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; Chad Otto 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Isaak Russell 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2; Chris Boesiger 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Cory Adams 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; B. J. Smith 3-4, 1-1, 4, 7; Kurt Tenopir 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Chris Roth 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. TOTALS: 33-53, 23-24, 34 (2 team), 101.

Half time: Neb. Wesleyan 51, Williams 30. Three-point field goals: Williams 10-27 (Nogelo 1-6, McGuire 1-5, Farmer 1-4, Humphreys 3-3, Frew 2-3, Dupuis 0-1, Hunt 2-5); Neb. Wesleyan 12-17 (Ideus 1-2, Kissinger 6-8, Mosser 5-6, C. Boesiger 0-1). Disqualifications: Humphreys. Officials: Mike Ruckman, Terry Nobles, Manny Upton. Attendance: 2,712.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Ill. Wesleyan 89, Neb. Wesleyan 86

Ill. Wesleyan: Brent Niebrugge 9-15, 7-9, 11, 25; Bryan Crabtree 8-15, 10-11, 4, 28; Matt Hoder 2-5, 2-4, 5, 7; Korey Coon 7-10, 0-0, 2, 17; Nathan Hubbard 3-5, 2-2, 2, 10; Tony Pacetti 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Jason Obsorn 0-1, 2-2, 0, 2; Matt Mann 0-1, 2-2, 0, 2; John Baines 0-3, 0-0, 1, 0. TOTALS: 29-55, 23-28, 32 (5 team), 89.

Neb. Wesleyan: Chad Ideus 7-17, 4-4, 7, 21; Jeff Miller 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Nate Thomas 10-15, 4-5, 12, 24; Kipp Kissinger 5-11, 0-0, 3, 14; Mitch Mosser 7-14, 2-2, 5, 23; Marcus Boesiger 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Isaak Russell 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Chris Boesiger 1-2, 0-0, 0, 3; B. J. Smith 0-1, 1-2, 0, 1. TOTALS: 30-62, 11-13, 30 (2 team), 86.

Half time: Ill. Wesleyan 49, Neb. Wesleyan 30. Three-point field goals: Ill. Wesleyan 8-17 (Niebrugge 0-1, Crabtree 2-4, Hoder 1-2, Coon 3-5, Hubbard 2-4, Osborn 0-1); Neb. Wesleyan 15-33 (Ideus 3-7, Kissinger 4-10, Mosser 7-13, M. Boesiger 0-1, C. Boesiger 1-2). Disqualifications: Baines. Officials: Dick Staver, Owen Hannah, Joe Lindsay. Attendance: 3,013.